The 2009 Crime Victimization Survey was held in four Metropolitan Assemblies in Ghana: Sekondi-Takoradi, Accra, Kumasi and Tamale Metropolitan. The population in individual households that dwell in living quarters in each of the four Metropolitan Assemblies constituted the sampling frame. The institutional population (such as persons in hospitals, prisons, hotels and similar establishments, persons living on the streets or the homeless) were excluded from the frame.

The sample design was a clustered, multi-stage probability sample. The updated list of enumeration areas (EAs) that were used for the 2000 Population and Housing Census constitute the sampling frame for the four Metropolitan Assemblies for the survey. The EAs are defined as Primary Sampling Units (PSUs), while households within the selected EAs constitute the Secondary Sampling Units (SSUs).

Selection of the sample was in two stages. At the first stage of sampling, 120 EAs (PSUs) were selected with Probability Proportional to Size (PPS). That is determination of the sample size uses proportional allocation based on each Metropolitan Assembly's share of the total population of the four metropolitan areas. The selection of EAs is accomplished by carrying out sampling operations independently within each metropolitan area. At the second stage, 13 households were selected systematically with a random start and interval separately for each EA to produce a total of 1,560 households for the four metropolitan areas.

The population of interest was all household members aged 16 years and older. Among these household members, the individual who was next to celebrate his/her birthday was selected for the interview.